It’s become clear in the last two games that the Chicago Bulls are going to face a lot of growing pains with their new-look roster and coaching staff in the near future. The Bulls lost a game that they really shouldn’t have on April 11, at the hands of the last-place Minnesota Timberwolves by a four-point margin on the road.
That came after first-year head coach Billy Donovan and the Bulls managed to fall short to star point guard Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks on April 9 after a 50-point night from star shooting guard Zach LaVine. The Bulls had previously built up a three-game winning streak last week which quickly turned into a two-game losing streak after falling short to the Hawks and Timberwolves last weekend.
Following their last two losses at the hands of the Hawks and Timberwolves, the Bulls now sport a record of 22-30. They still sit in 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings, which means that they are still in the picture to make the NBA’s play-in tournament next month.
Moves to make the Chicago Bulls rotation better down the stretch
The biggest looming question mark for the Bulls has to do with how they will shake up the rotation to make the best use of their talent in the mix post-deadline. The new front office regime did a nice job to upgrade the roster at the deadline, landing star big man Nikola Vucevic, shooting guard/small forward Troy Brown Jr., and center Daniel Theis, among others.
Donovan and his staff continuing to build on the improved roster, and maybe getting one more piece could be the finishing touches for this team down the stretch. If the Bulls are to add one more key piece to the roster, what options could they look into on the free agent market after the buyout deadline passed on April 9?
Emmanuel Mudiay, PG
I’ve long been a fan of the idea of the Bulls signing a free agent guard like that of the former Arturas Karniosvas first round draft pick with the Denver Nuggets Emmanuel Mudiay. With the Bulls needing some help in their backcourt rotation, the idea of adding a player like Mudiay should excite this fan base.
Now while Mudiay isn’t the only option out there for the Bulls, he could be an underrated one that fits in beyond the rest of the season. Mudiay was already improving his game in his last two years in the league with the likes of the New York Knicks and Utah Jazz. He was really started to show some polish to his game during the 2019-20 campaign with the Jazz.
That is largely why it is still astonishing that Mudiay hasn’t found a permanent home at any point in the last couple of years. The Jazz weren’t interested in bringing Mudaiy back, despite his improving facilitating ability, perimeter defending and shooting from deep.
Something else that is impressive in Mudiay’s game is his durability. He’s stayed mostly healthy throughout his more than four years in the NBA to date. And the fact that he is familiar with the lead voice in the Bulls front office just makes this an even better fit.
Mudiay is barely only 25 years of age, and could still have a lot of growth left in his game. Patience could definitely win the day if this team wound up signing Mudiay, and it wouldn’t be a huge risk for the front office.
DeMarre Carroll, F
Veteran wing help could be found immediately on the free agent market if the Bulls wanted to fill this spot in the rotation. Donovan and the Bulls aren’t getting much consistent production this season out of their current wing rotation, especially since letting go of veteran small forward Otto Porter Jr. in a trade with the Magic at the deadline.
It might also help the rookie former Florida State Seminoles rookie forward Patrick Williams to get a veteran mentor in the rotation like the former Houston Rockets 34-year-old forward DeMarre Carroll. It is pretty staggering that no teams have given the opportunity for the former Vanderbilt Commodores and Mizzou Tigers forward Carroll to make their 15-man roster this year.
Carroll still served a lot of value for the Rockets last season. He even played in a few games for them in the bubble.
As a true career journeyman, there are now eight different teams that Carroll played for over the course of more than a decade-long run in the league. Carroll played for both the Spurs and Rockets last season. But it was only two dozen games that Carroll got to take part in for those two teams last season.
Carroll has also now played in more than 550 career regular season games. He’s averaged around nine points per game, four rebounds, one assist, and shot 43 percent from the field, 36 percent from beyond the arc, and 74 percent from the free-throw line, in his NBA career to date.
It’s really a combination of veteran leadership, solid two-way ability throughout his career, and the playoff experience that Carroll brings to the table that could make a major immediate impact for the Bulls wing rotation.
Quinn Cook, G
There’s not a move that I would really be more of a fan of for the Bulls if they hit the free agent market to bolster the rotation down the stretch this season than adding help to the backcourt rotation. The Bulls’ backcourt rotation did not fair too well in support of LaVine in the last couple of games. And the depth was problematic in that part of the rotation for much of the season.
That’s where signing a well-known sharpshooting guard like the former Los Angeles Laker and Cleveland Cavalier Quinn Cook could work well for the Bulls. There are also not many more players that are still in their mid-to-late 20s available on the free agent market right now that have the plethora of playoff experience that Cook brings to the table.
The 6-foot-1 and 180 pound former Duke Blue Devils 28-year-old guard has now won two NBA Championships that came with the Warriors and Lakers. He also played well in nearly two dozen games during this regular season slate between time with the Lakers and Cavaliers.
In his 23 games played this season between time with the Lakers and Cavs, Cook averaged 3.3 points per game, 0.7 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.2 steals, and no blocks. And he shot 42.6 percent from the field, 42.3 percent from beyond the arc, and 87.5 percent from the free-throw line.
Cook wouldn’t do much to help the Bulls defensive woes, but he is a quick guard in transition that would be one of the most consistent shooters in the entire rotation.
Frank Mason, PG
As I mentioned with the potential case for the Bulls to sign Cook to get backcourt help for Donovan and his coaching staff, I would also be a fan of getting depth help by signing the former Kansas Jayhawks star point guard Frank Mason. Finding more stability in his career has to be a goal for Mason as he’s showed a pretty high level of efficiency as a reserve guard early in his career.
The NBA journey to date for Mason was a pretty crazy road. Mason has already been contracted with six different teams over the course of just three years playing in the NBA. His longest tenured run with any one NBA team came with the Sacramento Kings in his first two years. Mason played in 90 regular season games in two seasons with the Kings at the outset of his career.
There were four games that Mason played in this season, which came with the Magic a couple of months ago. And in those four games, he averaged 6.3 points per game, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, no steals, and no blocks. Mason shot 37.5 percent from the field, 40.0 percent from beyond the arc, and 71.4 percent from the free-throw line.
When getting some consistent looks in an NBA rotation, as he did with the Kings or Milwaukee Bucks, actually yielded some decent results out of Mason. He’s a good shot creator and facilitator for a second or third unit. Mason has also shot the ball well from deep in his last two seasons. It definitely wouldn’t be the worst move for the Bulls to give him a look.
Vincent Poirier, C
Amid the hotter names on the free agent market of late around the NBA is the former Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers French seven-footer and center Vincent Poirier. After getting traded by the Sixers to the New York Knicks at the trade deadline, Poirier wound up getting waived on March 28.
And then when no team was able to immediately sign Poirier after the Knicks waived him, he signed a contract to take his talents back overseas and play for Real Madrid. If the Bulls were seriously interested in adding some size to their frontcourt rotation, then they could still try and snag Poirier.
Really the sole purpose of signing Poirier down the stretch this season for the Bulls would be to get some added size, rim protection, and rebounding help in the frontcourt rotation. The Bulls did get that out of adding Theis at the trade deadline. But the Bulls don’t get quality paint presence down low on the defense out of the likes of Vooch and fourth-year power forward Lauri Markkanen.
In 32 career regular season games played between his time with the Celtics and Sixers, Poirier averaged 10.4 points per 36 minutes, 12.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.4 steals, and 2.6 blocks. Poirier is a solid body down low on defense and efficient around the rim on offense.
He could be one of the more intriguing names to look into for the Bulls down the stretch.
Allonzo TrierSG
Maybe what would be a favorite potential free agent signing of mine to help the Bulls bolster their rotation down the stretch would be the former Arizona Wildcat and undrafted free agent Allonzo Trier. This 25-year-old Seattle, WA, native and 6-foot-4 and 200 pound shooting guard gave the Knicks some solid production, mostly coming off the bench, in his two seasons in NYC.
Trier was let go last year by the Knicks, and it’s really astonishing that no other NBA team has given him a shot legitimately to make their 15-man roster ever since. That is why the Bulls should be able to take a chance on a shooting guard/wing that could help them in multiple ways to bolster the rotation.
Trier was a highly touted blue chip recruit coming into the Arizona basketball program, and he showed flashes of offensive brilliance in his first two seasons in the NBA with the Knicks.
He played in nearly 90 regular season games over the course of two years with the Knicks. And Trier averaged 9.7 points per game, 2.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.2 blocks. He shot 45.4 percent from the field, 38.4 percent from beyond the arc, and 80.1 percent from the free-throw line.
It’s likely that Trier could contribute offensively at a higher level than the former Celtics shooting guard Javonte Green, and he could do so more consistently than ex-Michigan State Spartans shooting guard/wing Denzel Valentine. It would require further roster shuffling to get Trier into the mix, but it could be worth it for the Bulls in the end.